


family names

by bestliars



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Parent Trap Fusion, Florida Panthers, Fluff and Crack, Kid Fic, M/M, Minnesota Wild, lowkey mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-23 16:32:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6122581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestliars/pseuds/bestliars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bella Scandella and Bjorn Bjugstad become best friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	family names

**Author's Note:**

> sometimes you just write weird fic for your friends's crackships. unbetaed because if I kept this any longer it would have kept growing into the epic it could have been that I don’t want it to be.
> 
> This is for Bess and Angie. You guys are ridiculous.

Bella Scandella and Bjorn Bjugstad meet on the first day of sixth grade. They’re in the same homeroom, and bond over their classmate’s laughter when their names get called during attendance. Kids are mean in general, and sixth graders, who are basically kids, but think they should be something more, are even meaner. They’re the two sixth graders with the most ridiculous names on earth, they have to stick together.

It helps that they have other things in common. They both like hockey, they both live with their dads. Even if they had normal names there’s a chance they would have been friends, but it would have taken them a while. Their names bind them together right at the beginning, and gave them something to start talking about.

Bella explains, “Like, my dad knows it’s ridiculous, but he doesn’t care. He _liked it_. He thought it was _cool.”_

Bjorn shakes his head. That’s terrible. That’s just sad.

“But at least he knew what he was getting you into,” he argues “My dad honestly thought this was a good name. It’s what his mother wanted to name him, before his dad talked her out of it. He wasn’t going to get talked out of anything. He didn’t think about whether or not I’d get teased — he’s too nice to consider that.”

“Gosh, I’m sorry,” Bella says. “That’s just…”

“I know he meant well, but really?” Bjorn wonders. “Bjorn Bjugstad? Really?”

“Hey, at least it doesn’t rhyme,” Bella complains. “You’ve never been teased until you’ve been teased in rhyme.”

They can compare hardships all they want, but there’s no denying that the dads who named them are both ridiculous.

 

 

Marco Scandella and Nick Bjugstad meet for the first time at the end of September when the school hosts a parent night. 

They only talk for a minute while their kids greet each other excitedly, like it’s been _so long_ since they saw each other, not just the couple of hours since school got out.

Marco and Nick introduce themselves, and make small talk over their kids heads. It doesn’t get off to a great start. Marco makes some crack about the American public school system’s failings, and how he’s from Canada,

Nick is the seventh grade English teacher, and doesn’t appreciate it. Yes, the system has flaws, and they don’t really get the funding they need, but—

Marco quickly takes it back — he didn’t mean it, he was just trying to make conversation. His best friend’s wife is a teacher, he knows how hard they work. 

Nick accepts the apology, and enjoys how Marco is willing to listen to his thoughts about the importance of education. Nick knows he can get going on this, and that not everyone appreciates that, but Marco’s willing to listen. The trade phone numbers so they can make plans for the kids to hang outside of school sometime.

Really it isn’t surprising that they get along. They were the ones who chose what their children are named. It makes sense that there’s a certain shared sensibility that leads them to be easy friends.

 

 

Kyle never protested Bjorn’s name. He knew Nick had his heart set on it, and generally thought that Nick had excellent ideas. That’s where being young and in love can get you — into naming your kid Bjorn Rau Bjugstad with very little hesitation.

That isn’t why they broke up though. The divorce was about getting older and wanting different things. They’re still close, in a different way. They learned how to be friends and co-parents, which works better than being a couple. 

 

 

Marco has the excuse that nobody was there to stop him. Matt was never going to be in the picture, and Marco wouldn’t have listened to his suggestions if he had stuck in town. Marco got to chose Bella’s name all on his own. Bella Francesca Scandella. He seriously considered Bella Ella, or Bella Stella, but in the end he decided to stick with a family name instead of getting too cute.

Jared tried to tell him it was a kinda bad idea, or at least a weird one, but Marco’s doesn’t always listen to his friend’s good advice. If he did he never would have gotten knocked up in the first place, and life without Bella would have been so sad, it isn’t really worth considering.

 

 

Nick hasn’t dated much since the divorce. He let Huby set him up once, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it would be. Sasha’s great, and Nick’s glad they’re friends now. They just never clicked like that. It was good to get out there though, and try dating like an adult. Nick had known Kyle since high school, and they were together all through college. He admits he doesn’t really know what he’s doing now. Bjorn mostly thinks it’s sad.

 

 

Bella has a whole checklist for people her dad dates. She knows that she’s getting the cream of the crop, that if they’re getting introduced to her then her dad really likes them. She isn’t sure what that says about his taste.

She liked Johnny, and is glad that he and her dad were never serious, and are still friends. Johnny’s fun. Brett was really boring, but gave good hugs. Christian was… tall? Matt was too young for her dad, and too cool, so she’s glad they never actually dated. Uncle Jared’s friend Tyler seemed nice, but didn’t live in the Cities, and long distance seemed sad.

Her dad deserves a grand romance, like in a movie. Or at least someone who treats him well. She wants him to be happy and in love. It’s important to be clear that’s why she wants him to find someone, not because she doesn’t think their little family is enough, because it is. 

She’s goes out to Buffalo, or London, or California, wherever Matt is next, to see her other dad for a couple weeks every summer. And that’s always alright — they watch baseball and he’s even worse at telling her no than Marco is. He’s her dad, more or less, and that’s good, more or less. But she’s heard enough to guess that they weren’t really good for each other. It wasn’t even things anyone said, but like, the tone her dads friends use to talk about Matt. Darcy was close to them way back when, before she was born, and he still talks to Matt, which most their friends from that time don’t. Sometimes he’ll tell her stories about her parents, and even when they’re happy stories, there’s still something about the way he tells them. Like it wasn’t surprising at all the way things ended up.

She’s never imagined her parents getting back together, but she wants her dad to be happy. She loves him so much, and it doesn’t make sense that she’s the only one. She’s old enough that she knows how to share. Their family can be more than just the two of them.

 

 

Bjorn is the one with the big idea. Bella is an enthusiastic participant, but Bjorn is the one with the cunning plan. He’s good at that sort of thing. (He gets this from Kyle.) One afternoon they’re hanging out, doing math homework, when Bjorn asks, “Have you ever watched _The Parent Trap?_ ”

What kind of question is that? Of course Bella’s seen _The Parent Trap,_ it’s a classic, what does he think she is, a loser? She’s seen both versions, repeatedly.

“Yeah, duh,” she tells him. Bjorn is a good friend, but sometimes he’s a bit oblivious. (He gets this from Nick.)

“Do you think we could pull it off?” He asks.

“Do you want to get your dads back together?” Bella asks. “Cause I dunno if that’s a good idea.” Like, Nick and Kyle are both pretty cool, as far as friend’s parents go, but they seem pretty happy broken up. She can’t imagine them being together. She’s sure it happened, but it’s so weird to think they used to kiss. It just seems impossible. Nick is like a foot taller, that must have been so uncomfortable.

“No, I was thinking, wouldn’t it be cool if my dad dated your dad?” 

Bella considers it carefully. She’s very picky about who her dad dates. “Which of your dads?”

“Nick!” Bjorn says, really fast. 

“Huh.” Bella tries to imagine it. “That might be alright.” Her dad is tall enough for Nick, that’s true.

“If they dated then we could hang out all the time. And, like, they named us, they’re weird.”

Bella can see the logic in that. “They kinda deserve each other.”

“Yeah. Absolutely.” Bjorn nods. “That’s exactly it. They understand each other.”

And so it's settled. They're going to make this happen. They start plotting, coming up with the beautiful elaborate absurd plot that could only be made by two sixth graders who don’t want to have to stop hanging out to go home for dinner.

 

 

The first time there’s a glimmer of the grand idea is one night after practice.

After hockey practice on Thursday nights Bella and Marco go out for second dinner and gelato. This late into the work week all of his cooking energy is gone, they probably need groceries, and deserve something nice to get them through the end of the week. Going out has been a family tradition since third grade.

They go to the Italian restaurant that makes Marco think of his grandparents place, even though it isn’t the same at all. They get a booth and hang around until it gets late. Bella does her homework, and Marco chats with the middle-aged waitresses who remind him of his mother. Once Bella’s through with all of her math sheets the gelato comes out. After that she’s yawning and it’s time to go home.

It’s just the two of them, and they like to have routines. Routines aren’t supposed to get messed with. Bella doesn’t like inviting other people into their routines. Last year, when she was still the right age to be on a team with Colbie, they never invited the Spurgeons to dinner after practice on Thursday. That wouldn’t have been right.

Then one Thursday, early in December, Bella says they should invite Bjorn and Nick to have dinner with them.

“Last night Nick was going to make mac and cheese, but he forgot to turn the stove on for half an hour! And then he let the water boil over! And then they went to the grocery store and bought a rotisserie chicken."

That is pretty sad. Really sad. Marco knows he's not always the most put together parent, sometimes making sure he and Bella don't just eat crap is really hard. He gets it. But that doesn't make the Bjugstads's attempt at dinner any less sad. 

"So, you think we should let them tag along?" Marco asks. 

"Yeah. Otherwise who knows what will happen. Terrible things could happen, and then I'd have to listen to Bjorn complain all day at school. Or maybe he could get sick and wouldn't be at school, that would be _terrible."_

She looks so earnest, so serious about her friend's well being. How can Marco say no to that? The fact that Bella is encouraging this, that she’s letting other people in, makes Marco think it must be a pretty good idea. His kid’s smart, and has good taste. 

"You get your stuff together, I'll talk to Nick."

Nick is easy to convince. This will make his kid happy, and he won’t have to cook. Getting to talk to Marco for a while — an actual adult who he doesn’t work with, and who isn’t his ex — sounds nice too.

The kids have a great time. Getting through their homework is easier working together. Bjorn is faster at math, and Bella is a less creative speller. They get everything done in less time, so they can play tic tac toe, and talk about the movie they had been watching with the substitute teacher in science class. 

Their dads are enjoy diner too, they’re talking and laughing. Bella and Bjorn nod to each other, and pass notes in code. Their plan is off to a fine start. It was a good idea. They’re right to want it to be like this all the time.

 

 

Getting Marco and Nick together is even easier than either of them expected. They thought it was going to be a real struggle, but after a little push their dads pretty much did it all themselves.

They like hanging out. Marco thinks Nick is sweet. Nick thinks Marco is fun. And there aren’t any questions about whether or not the kids get along. 

The neat thing about Minneapolis is that it’s the world’s biggest small town. They live close enough that their kids go to the same middle school, it isn’t all that surprising that they know a lot of the same people. 

They realize Nick knows Huby from somewhere, cause Huby knows everyone. Nick’s buddies with Charlie, who Huby is head over heals with. And Darcy has been sort of dating Charlie’s roommate? Or something, it isn’t really clear. Sasha, of Nick’s failed blind date, is a friend of Marco’s friend Mikael. Nick went to school with Erik, who Marco knows from work. They find out there’s only been a few degrees of separation, and uncover a shared circle of friends. Nick starts going out more than he has in years.

Bella and Bjorn just create opportunities. They enlist them both to help with school projects. There are movie nights, and potlucks, and family days at the Walker. They go skating at the park, and wind up playing on a team against their kids at pickup hockey. No one keeps score, but they do okay, work well together, staying out until they can’t feel their fingers then going to find cocoa. Marco talks about some show he wants to see, that he thinks Nick would like, and the kids enlist Jonny to hang out with them so their dads can have a date.

Bella and Bjorn get sloppy that night, and choose _The Parent Trap_ as the second feature for their movie marathon.

They’re half an hour in when Johnny puts it together. A lightbulb goes off over his head. “Wait, are you trying to do this to your dads?”

Their shocked faces must be enough of an answer, because he starts laughing hysterically. “This is amazing. You kids are a trip.”

Bella and Bjorn share a look, trying to figure out what happens next. Their plan hadn’t accounted for any grown ups figuring it out. Maybe years down the line, when their dads were happily settled down they would take credit for it all. But they hadn’t imagined anything like this.

It’s Bella who finally decides what to say. “So, are you going to help us out?” She asks.

Johnny nods, and manages to stop laughing. “Oh, absolutely. You’re right — they’re a good match. I had thought about saying something, but they wouldn’t listen to me. I’m sure your plot is much better.”

After that they have another conspirator, someone who’s better at getting their dads to go out and do grown up things together. Dates happen. Family gatherings happen. Marco and Nick start making plans together without anyone interfering. Nick asks Bjorn to ask Bella what kind of flowers her dad likes. Bella has no idea. She’s pretty sure her dad doesn’t even know what sort of flowers he likes, so she says red ones. Marco loves them.

Marco invites the Bjugstads over for dinner, because Nick clearly can’t cook for himself. The kids go up to Bella’s room to hang out, and when they go back down, lured by the smell of baking lasagna, they find their dads standing really close together in the kitchen. They sneak out of the room, and take a minute for a victory high five, before trying again, this time stomping down the stairs and talking loudly.

Nick and Bjorn have a standing invitation to Thursday night dinners. One time Marco drops Bella off to hang out with Bjorn while Nick is at a teacher’s conference, which lead to meeting Kyle, who looks at him skeptically, but shakes his hand. Bjorn explains to Bella that this is a good sign. Dani and Jared agree that Nick is the nicest person Marco has ever dated. They all go bowling. It’s pretty great.

 

 

Nick and Marco are officially “an item” by spring break. The wedding is the summer before the kids start high school. When they decide to have more kids Bjorn and Bella are able to convince them to go with names that are a bit more normal. Nothing so Scandinavian, and nothing that rhymes. Laura and Mark get nice normal names. They’re stuck with the hyphenated Bjugstad-Scandella monster at the end, but at that’s explainable, not an easy punchline.

If all of Bjorn and Bella’s awesome plans turn out this great then life is going to be easy. And even if it isn’t, well, then they know they’ve got a family who will stand with them through thick and thin.


End file.
